Amino acid oxidase

Function

Amino acid oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of amino acids to the keto acid producing ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. These enzymes oxidize D-amino acids (DAO) and L-amino acids (LAO). The LAO oxidation products are 2-oxo acid, ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. LAO is widely found in snake venom. DAOs oxidize neutral and basic D-amino acids.

Relevance

Some DAOs are used in cancer therapy as inducers of oxidative stress and apoptosis. DAO and LAO use FAD as a cofactor.

Structural highlights

LAO structure contains 3 domains: domains. .